Sharon L. Dougherty
Sharon Dougherty was no one’s idea of a shrinking violet. Never shy about voicing an opinion or boldly going her own way, she had little use for wistful reflection or second-guessing paths taken. For Sharon, who died December 10, 2023, life was about never looking back and always being ready for the next adventure.
And what a winding adventure it was. Born April 7, 1933, in Boise, Idaho, Sharon was the only child of Fred and Edith (nee Morehead) Whiteside. She grew up in Salt Lake City and later Washington, D.C., but often returned to Boise during the summer months. In later years she would often fondly recall those summers spent with her cousins as well as solo train trips as a young girl to visit far-flung aunts and other relatives.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Penn State, she embarked on a frenetic course of family building, living for a brief time in Maine before returning to Pennsylvania, eventually settling in the town of Chalfont north of Philadelphia. In a span of 12 years, she had six children!
As a divorced single mother in the mid-1970s, she returned to school, earning a master’s degree in medical records administration at Temple University. As the decade drew to a close, she packed up her three youngest and moved across the country to Santa Barbara, where she worked as a medical records administrator, first at Sansum Clinic and then Goleta Valley Hospital.
Retirement brought the biggest adventure of all, or rather a series of related adventures. Acting on a lifelong dream to explore the country’s great Western parks, she acquired a used RV and headed out on the road – alone, though she was eventually joined by her beloved dogs Rocky and Radar and her traveling buddy Carol Ann Dierker. Over the next several years the group visited several national parks, including Yellowstone, Sequoia, the Grand Canyon, and Mount Rainier, usually taking seasonal jobs to fund their extended stays.
By this time Sharon’s home base was Oro Valley, just north of Tucson. When advancing age made life on the road too much of a hardship, she busied herself with home projects and enjoyed a full social calendar. Friends were drawn to her freewheeling spirit and penchant for well-timed quips. She moved to Maravilla senior living community in Santa Barbara last year to be closer to her three sons in the area.
Sharon was a lifelong learner, and very much enjoyed reading and taking enrichment classes on a wide variety of subjects. A beer with dinner was an absolute must, a tradition she rigidly observed until her last day.
Her family and friends will forever miss her strength, her courage, and her infectious laugh.
Sharon is survived by daughters Susan Kotubey (Mike) and Kathleen Burns (Tom), and sons Robert, Tim (Marisol), Jeff, and Chris.
A celebration of life will take place in the spring.